Marital Woes
by Gooley
Summary: @EDITING AND RE-POSTING@ #-STORY IN-PROGRESS-#
1. Anniversary Disaster

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**MARITAL BLISS**

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**Synopsis**: SEQUEL to "A Reason To Smile Again" Harry and Severus are about to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary. But is a revenge plot, two deaths and the appearance of Matthew's real father going to break up their happy home? SLASH, HPSS, MPREG, OOC.

**Warnings Etc**: SLASH (HPSS), MPREG, OOC. Please no flames as you have been forewarned. Also this story is going to be more depressing than the previous one.

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**Chapter 1: Anniversary Disaster**

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To say that Harry Snape was happy was a huge understatement. He was blissfully happy. He finally had the life he had dreamt of as a small child, stuck in the middle of a traumatic childhood with his aunt and uncle in Privet Drive. Even when he thought back to just three years ago, his life wasn't so great then either. Although he had the love of his life, his son Matthew, he was a single parent and hadn't had a date since he was born and had never had a proper relationship.

But now, not only did he have a husband he was still madly in love with after nearly three years together, he had three beautiful children. Six year old Matthew, two year old Joseph and one year old Lily. Harry was relishing his life as a stay at home husband, taking care of the house and the kids while Severus went to work at Hogwarts as a Professor. He really didn't think life could get any better than it was at this precise moment and wouldn't want to change a thing.

Harry was in the kitchen making dinner for the whole family when he heard the front door open and close. He smiled to himself as he heard all three of the kids start screaming at seeing their daddy home. Although Severus had severely doubted his capabilities as a father, Harry couldn't fault him and in some ways he knew Severus was a better father than he was. He processed astonishing amounts of patience whereas Harry wasn't so blessed in that area. He also had the ability to make the kids laugh for no apparent reason. Eventually Severus managed to tear himself away and appeared in the kitchen, carrying baby Lily with him.

"Hi" he greeted Harry, kissing him on the cheek.

"Good day?" Harry asked.

"You know, same as ever. Oh, Tonks went into labour, Remus had to dash off. He was beside himself with happiness; I think he's hoping for a boy so he can name it after Sirius."

"That would be so cute" Harry cooed.

"Yes, quite" Severus replied unenthusiastically.

"Dadda, dadda, dadda" Lily mumbled in Severus' arms, clearly wanting to divert Severus attentions away from Harry and back to herself. He lifted her above his head and she started laughing like a maniac.

"Who's my beautiful little girl?" he asked her.

"What about me?" Harry demanded, turning away from his cooking and folding his arms.

"Daddy is feeling left out" Severus told Lily, bringing her back down into his arms. She laughed again and he kissed her forehead before walking over to Harry. With one hand gently stroked his cheek and leaned down to kiss him sweetly on the lips. "You know you're beautiful, it goes without saying."

Later that evening, once all the kids had been fed, bathed and put to bed, Harry and Severus finally had some "alone" time. They were on the sofa together, Harry was lying on Severus lap whist he was reading a book.

"I thought we could go away for our anniversary" Severus suddenly said. "No kids… just me and you."

"Mmm, sounds good" Harry replied, just as an owl flew in through an open window, deposited an envelope onto Harry's head, who tutted.

He opened the letter and read out loud to Severus:

_Harry and Severus,_

_I am delighted to tell you that Tonks gave birth to a healthy baby boy._

_We have named him Sirius James Lupin and he weighed just over 6 lbs._

_Remus_

"I'm so happy for them" Harry said, putting the letter on the coffee table. "We'll have to go and see them once they're settled in at home."

"Hmm" was all Severus replied with.

"Anyway" Harry said, getting up to straddle his husband's legs and put his arms around his neck. "What _exactly_ are we going to do on our anniversary?"

Severus smiled and threw his book to the side and pulled Harry's face down with his hands, kissing him passionately. They stayed like this for several minutes. No talking, just enjoying the feel each other. This was a common occurrence once the kids were in bed. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. Severus felt his cock hardening and Harry must have done too as he started laughing, as though Severus' cock worked on a timer.

"What's so funny?" he asked, breaking the kiss.

"Nothing, nothing" Harry replied smiling, leaning down and grabbing Severus' cock through his trousers. Severus moaned.

"You. Upstairs. Now" Severus demanded.

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"Thanks for taking the kids and Boo for a few days Molly. Are you sure it's not going to be too much trouble?"

"It's a pleasure Harry, you know it is."

"Well thanks. It will nice for Severus and me to get a few days alone together, although I'll probably be bursting to see the kids by the end of it."

"You two have a lovely time and don't worry about anything here. The kids will be fine."

"Bye kids" Harry said, waving to the three of them, but they were ignoring him and already enthralled by all the toys Molly had laid out.

Harry turned and walked out of the door. It was Friday afternoon and he was meeting Severus back at the house. He apparated and immediately smiled as the lights were on, meaning Severus was already back. He opened the door and found himself being pulled into a hug.

"There you are" Severus whispered into his ear before kissing him.

"I've just dropped the kids off at Molly's."

"Were they ok?"

"Fine, too busy playing with toys to care about me."

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Ok… but where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I know, but I want to know."

"Tough."

Harry and Severus gathered their bags and walked outside of their home, then using side long apparition, Severus transported them to their honeymoon getaway, wanting the location to be a surprise. He had instructed Harry to keep his eyes firmly close, and he kept his promise, as Severus took his bags and his own and dumped them on the floor. He then stood directly behind Harry and put his arms through his and leaned his chin on his shoulder.

"What can you hear?" he asked Harry.

"Birds."

"What can you feel?"

"The air on my face."

"You can open your eyes now."

Harry opened his eyes and smiled widely. They were standing at the edge of a lake, overlooking hills and trees far into the distance. It was a wonderful sight.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"The Lake District" Severus replied.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

Severus turned Harry around and he found they were standing outside a cottage which would be their home for the next few days. It was perfect. Secluded, peaceful and stunning scenery. Harry kissed Severus on the lips before running into the cottage.

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"I want it hard and fast" Harry said.

"Well, you asked for it" Severus replied, grinning wickedly.

They had eaten a delicious meal together in the dining room and as soon as Severus had put his knife and fork down, Harry had all but pounced on him. It had been a long while since they were absolutely alone to have sex. They could make as much noise as they wanted and Harry couldn't wait any longer.

Severus led him into the lounge, pushing him down so he was sitting on the sofa, and then straddled him. Placing his hands behind Harry's neck, Severus leaned down and kissed him. It was hungry and passionate. Severus deepened the kiss, entering his tongue into Harry's warn and willing mouth. Harry let out a moan of pleasure.

"This is what you want, is it?" Severus murmured between kisses.

"Oh yeah" Harry replied. "Give it to me. Hard."

"Your wish is my command."

Severus and Harry stood up, quickly taking all their clothes off and both revealing already hard cocks. Severus snatched up a condom from the nearby table and placed it onto his erection before immediately returning to kissing Harry.

"I've got to have you in me. Now" Harry pleaded.

Severus turned Harry around and guided him towards the back of the sofa. Harry griped onto it as Severus muttered a lubrication charm and thrusted all the way inside, thoroughly enjoying the moans and gasps that issued from Harry's mouth as he did so. Harry laid his head back on Snape's left shoulder and demanded that he show him no mercy.

Snape slowly withdrew his cock, so it was almost coming out, teasing Harry who was trying to back up onto it in frustration. He then plunged back in as hard and as fast as he could when Harry was least expecting. Harry was screaming out in pleasure with every single thrust and never wanted the feeling to end. It felt so good. Severus kept up the momentum until a few minutes later when he was completely overpowered by the best orgasm he'd had in a long time, Harry climaxed a few seconds later without any intervention needed.

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The following morning, Harry and Severus were eating breakfast. They kept glancing over at each other and smiling, last night events still playing in their minds. They'd had sex twice and gave each other oral and Harry was feeling fantastic, albeit a little sore. Harry was amazed that after three years they were still having incredible sex which left him feeling like a teenager for several hours. Severus was a fantastic lover, who, like Harry, was open to new ideas and positions in the bedroom. Harry had thought that after Joseph and Lily their sex life would never quite be the same, but they had managed to get firmly back on track.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked as Harry almost threw up his cereal seconds after eating a spoonful.

"Nothing, I just feel a bit… sick."

"Harry, you're not…?"

"What?" Harry asked defensively.

"Pregnant again?"

"Of course not" Harry replied, not looking at Severus, but suddenly finding his feet a source of fascination.

"Harry look at me" Severus demanded. Harry looked into his husbands eyes. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Just a few days."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I was hoping it would pass."

"As soon as we get back, you're off to St Mungos."

They lapsed into silence. Neither of them were actually eating though, they were both just thinking about the possibility of Harry being with child again. Harry felt awful, as though it was somehow all his fault and couldn't help feeling as though he'd let Severus down badly. He'd not said anything to Severus yet, as truth be told, he was terrified of the man's response. After all, when he told him he was pregnant with Joseph, Severus left him. He knew that was well over two years ago now and that Severus had justified reasons to be scared of parenthood, it didn't stop Harry feeling paranoid that history would repeat itself.

"What if I am pregnant again?" he asked quietly.

"We'll cope. We've been using condoms ever since Lily was born, but it's not unheard of for condoms to fail and even in the muggle world they're not a hundred percent full proof."

"I'm sorry" Harry said.

"For what?"

"For getting pregnant again."

"Harry we don't even know if you are yet. And if you are, I'm as much to blame, it takes two to tango remember."

"I just… don't think I could handle another baby right now. I mean, I love the kids to death and wouldn't have our life any other way… but they're so exhausting, and adding a newborn into the mix… does that make me selfish?"

"Of course it doesn't. Come here."

Severus stood up and motioned for Harry to do the same. He pulled him into a tight embrace. He had to admit he felt pretty much the same as his husband. Another baby right now wouldn't be ideal. He wouldn't mind more children, but he was hoping they would leave at least a five year gap between Lily and the next one as three children six years and under was enough for anybody to be getting on with.

The first six months of Lily's life had been extremely demanding for them all. They had two babies under one and barely had time for sleep, let alone anything else. He could count on both hands how many times they had sex in that period. They were finally enjoying an active sex life again and getting a proper nights sleep every night. But if Harry was pregnant, of course they would be thrilled to have another child.

"Severus?" Harry murmured against his chest.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Harry."

Harry broke out of the embrace and kissed Severus desperately on the lips. A sound coming from the nearby window broke their kiss and they could see an owl perched on the sill, a letter in its beak.

"Maybe the kids are being too much trouble" Severus said as Harry went over to retrieve the letter.

"Yeah maybe" Harry replied unsurely. Molly was more than capable of looking after the kids. Had she not had seven kids of her own? And did that not include Fred and George, which must have been like taking care of ten kids all at once? Harry took the letter from the owl and saw straight away that it was Ron' handwriting, although it was pretty messy.

"It's from Ron" he told Severus. Harry ripped open the envelope and began to read. "Oh no" he cried, dropping onto a chair.

"What's the matter?" Severus asked.

Harry didn't answer, he couldn't. He just held out the letter in front of him which Severus took, frowning. But his frown faded and his stomach dropped as he read the contents:

_Harry,_

_I'm sorry to break up your holiday with Severus, but you need to come back right away. My dad has been killed and my mum is in a terrible state._

_Hermione and I have the kids at our place._

_See you soon,_

_Ron_

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"Where's Ron?" Harry asked as soon as he was able to tangle himself out of Hermione's tight embrace.

"He's with his mum" she answered, wiping her eyes which were red and puffy. "He's still in shock, walking around on autopilot. He thinks because he's a man he has to stay strong and focused, but I've heard him crying in the bedroom."

"What happened?" Severus asked.

"Molly found him outside The Burrow. Someone had used the killing curse on him when he got home from work."

"I don't understand" Harry said. "Mr Weasley is one of the nicest people. Why would someone want to kill him?"

"We may never know" Severus replied. "Maybe we were all naïve to think that once the dark lord was gone, all evil would be wiped out."

"How's Molly?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Not good. Ron and the rest of them are with her. I think they need some time alone together as a family."

"And how are you?"

"I'm ok. The kids are keeping me busy."

"Well, we'll get our kids home and you need to have some sleep you look shattered."

"Thanks Harry."

Hermione led the way up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms where Matthew, Joseph and Lily were all having a nap. Harry and Severus gently woke them up and carrying both Joseph and Lily in their arms they made their way back home, in a sombre state.

Later that day Severus walked into the kitchen to find Harry sitting at the table, staring into nothingness. He sat beside him and took one of his hands in his own.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. I can't imagine what the Weasley's are going through though. I feel so helpless, like I want to do something for them."

"You will be able to, but they'll want to be on their own for a bit. When we had Lily and we were told about her heart problem I don't think I could have handles a load of other people being around, I only wanted you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But… do you think this means we're all in danger now?"

"I don't know" Severus replied honestly.

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Two days later, Harry returned to his home with Matthew after collecting him from school. He took Matthew's coat, hung it up and then asked him what he wanted for dinner.

"Finger fish" he replied laughing.

"Fish fingers? But you had that last night… and the night before."

"I like finger fish."

"Alright then, but you have to have something different tomorrow ok?"

"Ok. Can I watch cartoon?"

"Yes, but only till dinner is ready."

Matthew ran over to the TV and Harry walked into the kitchen where Severus had Joseph and Lily in their high chairs on either side of him, feeding them their dinner. They had food all over their faces and were laughing at their daddy, who was eating the baby food and saying "yummy."

"Why are you eating that?"

"It makes them eat it more."

"It looks like they've got most of it on their face."

"Don't listen to him" Severus whispered to the kids.

"I head that" Harry retorted.

Joseph held his arms up as Harry kissed him on the head. Picking him up, Harry grabbed a cloth and wiped his face, then put him back down in the high chair. He did the same with Lily.

"You know, I could have done that" Severus sulked.

"Well, you look like you've got your hands full, what with eating that mush."

"Shh, they can understand what you mean by that."

Harry laughed and kissed Severus on the forehead. "You look adorable when you're doing stuff with the kids. Especially when you sing to them in the bath. It's so sweet."

"Well as long as that information does not leave this room."

"I promise" Harry said, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Oh, we still need to get you checked out at St Mungos" Severus said quietly.

"I'll go tomorrow."

Harry proceeded to make Matthew's and his dinner and they sat together at the kitchen table eat; Severus was going to make his own dinner whilst Harry bathed the kids. Meanwhile, Severus took Joseph and Lily into the lounge to play with their toys. There was a knock at the door and Severus sighed. He wasn't really in the mood for visitors and he hoped to god it wasn't Lupin with his new baby.

Severus opened the door and almost gasped in shock. There standing in the doorway was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Severus, nice to see you."

"What the hell do you want?"

"I'm here to see my son."

It took Severus a few seconds to work out exactly what Draco had just said. He stared at him in bewilderment, and almost let out a laugh.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Who's at the d-" Harry began, as he walked out of the kitchen towards Severus. He immediately stopped when he saw who had come to see them.

"What is he doing here?" he directed at Severus.

"He's talking crazy" Severus replied.

"No I'm not" Draco replied angrily. "I am here to see my son... Isn't there something you want to tell your dear husband?" Draco smirked, looking directly at Harry.

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**Coming up in the next chapter**: Is Draco causing trouble or is he telling the truth? Also, Harry has a pregnancy test carried out at St Mungos.

**Reviews**: If you're reading this, please take a few moments to leave me a review. I really do appreciate them and they do help immensely with my motivation. My profile has details of all my story updates.

(This chapter was posted on May 10th)

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	2. What? What?

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**Chapter 2: What? What?**

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"What the hell are you talking about?" Harry replied.

"You mean to say that you never thought to tell your… _husband_… about our… _relationship_?" Harry laughed.

"Our relationship? What relationship? You're fucking mad Malfoy, you belong on the same ward as Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Clearly Harry didn't feel he could trust you with the truth" Draco said to Severus, who was wearing a completely bemused expression on his face, as he listened to what Draco had to say.

"Daddy I've finished my dinner" Matthew said, coming to stand by Harry. He looked over to the door where Draco and Severus were and pointed a finger. "Who's that?"

"Is that him?" Draco asked, looking at Matthew. He began to walk towards him but was stopped by Severus pushing him back. "You are not stepping foot into my house Malfoy" he said dangerously.

Draco didn't attempt to move again. Harry took Matthew's hand and pulled him behind his back away from view, before throwing an angry stare in Draco's direction.

"Get the fuck out" he said quietly, but deadly. "I don't know what game you're trying to play, but it won't work."

"I'll go. But you will be hearing from my legal representation about visiting rights to my son" Draco smirked at Harry and then turned to look at Severus, telling him "Harry and I were a couple. I dumped him when he got himself knocked up. But I've grown up a lot since then. I've decided to be a more _responsible_ adult."

Severus closed the door in Draco's face with a bang and then looked at Harry, who was looking just as shocked and stunned as he was. Severus didn't have a clue what had just happened, his mind was completely fucked up. What on earth was going on? Was Draco telling the truth? Was he really Matthew's father? Had Harry lied to him about the muggle that got him pregnant during a short fling? Matthew was the first one to break the awkward silence in the room.

"Daddy what does fuck mean?"

"Don't say that word sweetie. I shouldn't have said it" Harry told him, bending down and kissing Matthew's head.

"Daddy who was that man?"

"Nobody for you to worry about. Could you go and play with Joe and Lil for a bit?"

"Ok" Matthew replied and he ran off.

"Harry, do you have any idea what that was about?" Severus asked as soon as Matthew was out of ear shot.

"Of course I don't. He's talking fucking rubbish."

"So he's not Matthew's real father then?"

"Severus, give me some credit. Do you really think I would sleep with Malfoy? Let alone have a _relationship_ with him?"

"I don't know, maybe. You would have said the same thing about me before we got together. Maybe you've got a thing for Slytherins."

"Get a grip Severus" Harry shouted. "Matthew's father is a muggle. You don't… believe Malfoy do you?"

"I don't know what to believe at the moment. Why would Malfoy come here claiming to be Matthew's father when there is a very simple way of finding out whether it's true or not?"

"Don't ask me, ask him! He's twisted, he's just trying to cause trouble between us… don't… don't you trust me?"

"Are you prepared to have a paternity test carried out on Matthew?" Severus asked sternly.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Do you really want to play into Malfoy's hands?"

"Answer the question Harry" Severus demanded. Harry shook his head, he couldn't believe his husband was taking the word of someone as evil as Malfoy over his. But if a paternity test would be the only thing to convince him, then of course he'd have Matthew do it.

"Yes" he finally replied and Severus walked off upstairs, slamming their bedroom door behind him. Harry noted that he never answered his question about trusting him.

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"You're not pregnant Mr Potter" the Healer told a stunned looking Harry.

"I'm not? Are you sure?"

"Quite sure. You've got a touch of food poisoning though. The sickness should wear off over the next few days; it's not anything that should worry you."

"Ok, thanks" Harry replied, feeling relived but also disappointed at the same time, although he didn't know why. He didn't want another baby at the moment; in fact it was the last thing he wanted. But why didn't he feel happier about the test being negative? Why wasn't he jumping for joy?

"Anything else?" the Healer asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Er, yes there is actually. Could you perform a paternity test on my son please?"

"Of course. Is he here?"

"Yes, he's sitting outside with my husband."

"Bring him in."

Harry got up from his seat and went outside the door. Severus immediately stood up from the chair he had been sitting on. He looked nervous and agitated.

"Well?" he demanded.

"No. It's just food poisoning."

"Oh… well that's… good… then."

"Yeah, it is. Um, we can bring Matthew in now."

Harry returned to the room, with Severus and Matthew in tow. The Healer asked Matthew to sit on the bed and began the paternity test. Harry and Severus sat watching, nervously. When she had finished, Matthew got down and Severus lifted him up onto his lap, kissing the top of his head. The Healer consulted a piece of parchment which had appeared from a machine on his desk. He then used his wand to extinguish it and looked at Harry and Severus.

"Do you want me to say the results out loud?" he asked, glancing at Matthew.

"Yes" Harry replied smiling, he knew what the outcome was going to be, it would be no surprise to him. Severus placed his hands over Matthew's ears, ho giggled in return, thinking they were playing a game.

"Parents are Mr Harry Potter and Mr Draco Malfoy."

The silence was deafening. Harry stared at the Healer in utter shock; Severus stared at Harry, anger boiling up inside him. He took his hands away from Matthew's ears and stood up, carrying him with him.

"No… no, please… you've… you've got it wrong" Harry pleaded, finally finding some way of talking.

"I'm sorry Mr Potter, but there is no mistake." Harry started to cry and put his head in his hands.

"I'm taking Matthew home" Severus said coldly. Harry looked back up and saw his husband looking at him with utter hatred.

"Severus, I… I didn't-"

"We can discuss this at home" he interrupted and he swept from the room.

"Mr Potter are you ok?" the Healer asked, once Severus had left. "Did you think your husband was the father of your child?"

"No… we weren't together till after he was born… um, I've got to go." Harry stood and without another word, hurried from the room after Severus and Matthew.

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As soon as they got home following a silent journey back from St Mungos, Severus asked Matthew to go to his room and he then poured himself a very generous glass of wine, drinking most of it and topping it up again. He sat himself on the sofa and looked up at Harry, who was standing in the middle of the room, watching him and looking pale and drawn.

"So is there something you want to tell me?" Severus asked.

"What do you want to hear?" Harry asked his voice cracking as he started to cry again.

"The truth would be sufficient Harry."

"Ok, Malfoy and I had a fling, we had loads of sex and he got my pregnant."

"Is that so?"

"NO! For fucks sake Severus! I don't how… I… he… he must have been using polyjuice potion or something. I swear to you, I never had sex with him."

"Are you telling me the truth?" Severus asked quietly, looking down at the floor.

Harry knelt down in front of Severus. Removing his wine glass to the coffee table, he took both of Severus' hands in his and told him to look at him, which he did.

"Severus, I am telling you the truth. I'm prepared to take veretiserum if that will put your mind at rest. Do you have any idea how I'm feeling right now? I've just found out that my son's father is a completely different person to who I thought it was. I feel physically sick just thinking about having… Malfoy…"

Harry was suddenly overcome with the need to vomit. He ran upstairs to the bathroom without excusing himself and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He was washing out his mouth in the sink when Severus appeared at the door.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Harry, I'm so sorry I doubted you. I was just so… I don't know, it's… this is really hard."

"I know it is. But don't you see what Malfoy's trying to do? He wants to split us up, to make us miserable. Are we going to let him win?"

"Of course not" Severus replied, taking Harry into his arms and stroking his hair. "We'll get through this. We've had our fair share of heartache, and we know we're strong."

"What do you think Malfoy will do?"

"Not sure, but one things for certain, he's not the parental type. We'll fight him all the way, he won't get his hands on our son, and I promise you that."

Harry smiled up at Severus. He'd never heard him refer to Matthew as their son before. It made him feel all warm inside.

"What?" Severus asked, as Harry continued to look at him.

"Nothing, it's just… I love you."

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"Hermione's sent us a letter" Harry said, walking into the kitchen with three envelopes, Hermione's being the top one. Severus was between two high chairs, feeding Joseph and Lily their breakfast, although most of it had ended up on their face, clothes, hands and high chairs. Matthew was sat eating cereal, laughing at his little brother and sister. Harry smiled at the sight of them all, they looked so cute. The feeling quickly vanished though, as a wave of dread entered his stomach as Malfoy entered his thoughts. He still couldn't believe Malfoy had used polyjuice potion in order to have sex with him. The thought still made him feel physically ill, but he was coming to terms with it, he had to. It worried him though, what Malfoy would do next. What if he did get rights to Matthew? Shaking the worry out of his mind, he sat beside Matthew and ripped open Hermione's letter. He read it aloud:

_Harry and Severus,_

_Arthur's funeral will be taking place this Friday. Everyone's meeting at our house at 11:30._

_Molly is still very shaken up as you can imagine, but feels the funeral needs to be done asap. She's going to be staying with Ron and I for a while, The Burrow holds too many memories for her to feel comfortable with at the moment._

_See you on Saturday._

_Love,_

_Hermione x_

"Are you ok?" Severus asked, as Harry fell silent and stared at the letter.

"Yeah, I still can't believe he's gone. He'd done a lot for me since I became Ron's friend. All of the Weasley's actually. I've got such a lot to be thankful for. Do you… think they'll let me say something, at the funeral?"

"I think Molly would love that Harry… so, who are the other letter from?"

"Don't know, can't recognise the handwriting" Harry said, passing them over for Severus to look at.

"Well this one is from Dumbledore" he said. "And I don't know this one."

Severus opened the unrecognisable letter and read the contents, his face becoming angrier as he did so.

"What is it?" Harry asked, as Severus ripped up the letter into tiny pieces. Severus didn't speak for a few moments.

"Malfoy… his "legal team." They say we have to go to a hearing at the Ministry this Friday… at 12."

"But… what about the funeral? We can't."

"And we're not going to. I told you Harry, Malfoy is not getting his hands on Matthew. If he thinks we're going to roll over and do as he says he's got another thing coming. I'll go and see someone later today, see what we can do to get him off our backs."

"Do you think we'll be able to?"

"I hope so. We should definitely be able to stall things for a while. If worse came to the worse we'd just have to go into hiding. Get an unplottable property like Grimmauld Place."

"You'd… do that for me?"

"For us Harry. I wouldn't trust Malfoy as far as I could throw him. If he took Matthew off somewhere for a "visit"… well, we'd probably never see him again."

Harry swallowed nervously and felt like crying. Why was Malfoy doing this to them? Would he keep pushing and pushing until they were forced to hide away from the world? A sharp pain in his side made him jump and cry out.

"What's up?" Severus asked, concerned.

"Just a stomach pain… I've been getting it since yesterday. I think it's the stress."

"You need to take it easy Harry. I'll take a few days off work."

"That would be nice… so what does Dumbledore want?"

Severus opened the letter and his face fell. He looked over to Harry who said nervously "What?"

"It's Tonks. She's been killed."

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**Coming up in the next chapter**: Harry and Severus attend Arthur's funeral. Will they be able to get Draco off their backs? And Harry ends up in hospital.

**Reviews**: If you're reading this, please take a few moments to leave me a review. I really do appreciate them and they do help immensely with my motivation. My profile has details of all my story updates.

(This chapter was posted on June 4th)

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	3. Doom And Gloom

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**Chapter 3: Doom and Gloom**

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"Harry, you're biting your nails again" Severus said, breaking Harry out of his daze.

He had been sitting at the kitchen table for almost half an hour and not eating his breakfast. He couldn't eat, he just couldn't. He felt sick all the time with worry, grief and nerves. Today was Arthur's funeral, Remus had been left widowed with two little ones and Draco was his son's father. What was going on with the world?

"You'll have no nails left at this rate" Severus told him, as Harry put his hand down and smiled unconvincingly at him.

"I didn't even know I was doing it… god, I just want today to be over."

"If you don't feel up to it, we can stay home."

"I have to go. I can't let Ron and Mrs Weasley down… and anyway, Arthur was like a… a father to me."

Severus noticed the crack in Harry's voice and got up from his seat and stood behind him. He put his arms around Harry and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine."

"But that's the point, it's not is it? People are being killed, Malfoy is trying to take my son from me… is it even safe to go outside anymore?"

"Harry, you listen to me. I won't let anything happen to you… or the kids." This seemed to be too much for Harry and he started to cry.

"Come here" Severus said, pulling Harry off his chair towards him and hugging him tightly.

"I don't know what I would do without you" Harry sobbed.

"Well you're not without me. We're together, we have a family and nothing will change that. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"What's wrong daddy?"

Harry let go of Severus and looked around to see Matthew looking at them with a scared expression. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and put on the biggest smile he could muster before lifting Matthew up.

"Nothings wrong sweetheart."

"Then why you crying?"

"Your daddy is just a bit upset about Uncle Arthur" Severus said, planting a kiss on the top of Matthew's head. "I'll go and get Joseph and Lily ready."

"Daddy?" Matthew said once Severus had left.

"Yes?"

"Why do I have to say Sevrus?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Lily and Joe call him daddy."

"Would… would you like to call Severus daddy?"

"Yeah."

For the first time since he heard about Arthur's death, Harry smiled a genuine beaming smile. There was nothing like your child bringing you crashing back down to earth and showing you what life was all about. And for the first time, the thought that Malfoy had tricked him into having sex didn't completely repulse him. After all, it was their affair that produced Matthew and he wouldn't have things any other way. Malfoy had given him Matthew, he could never be less than grateful for that.

"Hey, when Severus comes back downstairs give him a big hug and tell him you love him."

"Ok" Matthew replied as Harry put him down.

Matthew ran into the hallway and waited at the bottom of the stairs. Harry followed him and still couldn't help smiling, wondering if his son could be any cuter at this moment. A few seconds later Severus came down the stairs.

"What are you waiting for little one?" Severus asked Matthew.

"You" he replied, holding his arms wide.

"Do you want a hug?"

"Yeah."

Severus picked Matthew up, almost dropping him when Matthew said "I love you daddy" in his ear. He whipped around and saw Harry standing there, smiling at him. This was what made life worth living for Harry, and for Severus.

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Harry and Severus were walking and in hand up to Ron and Hermione's house. Harry was holding onto Severus' hand with huge force, not wanting to let go for anything.

"Hey, why are you so tense?" Severus asked, stopping outside the front door and turning to Harry.

"It's just… are you sure we won't get into trouble for not attending that hearing?"

"Harry I told you, it's all sorted. Malfoy can't just walked into a child's life after five years and expect us to drop everything and do as he says. There are procedure's he has to go through and I'm making sure they will take as long as possible. And like I said before, if it comes to it we'll-"

"But I don't want to live my life in hiding. It's so unfair."

"I know it is… but we'll be fine, we've got each other."

"I love you so much."

"And I love you too… let's concentrate on the funeral, we can discuss the Malfoy thing later, let's not allow him to dampen Arthur's day."

"Ok" Harry said as Severus rang the doorbell.

"How are you mate?" Harry asked Ron as soon as he opened his front door to let him and Severus in.

"I'm doing ok. Mum's the one in a mess. We're all trying to rally round you know? But it's been hard."

"Well if there's anything Severus and I can do to make things easier, just let us know."

"Thanks mate."

Harry and Severus went into the house. Most of the Weasley's were there, except for Mrs Weasley who was still upstairs. Harry made his way into the kitchen where he found Hermione making tea for everyone.

"Hey you" Harry said. Hermione turned around and gave Harry a hug. "Is Ellie with Minerva as well?"

"Yeah, Ron took her to Hogwarts about an hour ago. It's just not a place for babies is it?"

"No, I was in two minds about letting Matthew come, but he's just too young to understand it all."

"How's Remus?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know" Harry replied honestly. "He's gone away for a while and Dumbledore said he didn't want to be contacted by anyone... I guess we have to respect that. Although I wouldn't have a clue what to say to him anyway."

"I can't begin to imagine what he's going through."

"How's-" Harry began to ask Hermione how Mrs Weasley was, but she appeared in the kitchen, looking as though she had been crying but putting on a very convincing fake smile.

"Hello Harry dear, I'm so glad you could come. Arthur would have really appreciated it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything… Mr Weasley was like… like a father to me."

"And you were like a son to him. Ron tells me you want to say something at the service."

"I'd like to, if that's ok with you."

"Of course it is."

Mrs Weasley hugged Harry tightly and then excused herself to go and see the others. Half an hour later they were on their way to the church after having tea and enduring awkward small talk about the weather and the like. Again, Harry had hold of Severus' hand as though his life depended on it, but Severus didn't mind, it was comforting to know that Harry loves and trusts him. As they began walking up the path towards the church Harry felt a shot of pain in his stomach. Stopping him in his tracks he couldn't help saying "ow."

"Are you ok?" Severus asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a pain."

"All this stress isn't doing you any good you know. Maybe we should go to St Mungos tomorrow, see if they can give you something."

"Yeah maybe" Harry replied. "I'll see how it goes."

They carried on walking, but the shooting pain kept coming. Harry tried biting down on his lip and letting it pass but it got worse and worse until he was doubled over in agony on the floor.

"Oh my God" he heard Hermione shout.

"Harry, I'm taking you to the hospital, no arguments" Severus said and Harry didn't object. He closed his eyes and let himself be picked up. He was dying, he knew he was. There was nothing anyone would be able to do. This was it, someone had killed him too.

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Severus was pacing up and down the corridor, his heart beating a million times a minute. The Healer had only been with Harry for a few minutes, but he was already running out of patience, wanting to know what was going on. What was wrong with Harry? Was it life threatening? As though the Healer could hear his thoughts, his head popped out of the door and called him inside. Severus ran to Harry's side, he looked ok but was very pale. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled down at him.

"Your husband wanted to wait for you before I relayed what I found" the Healer said to Severus.

"Ok, so what is it?"

"Nothing life threatening, but I am sorry to tell you that you've suffered a miscarriage."

"A what?" Harry said in bewilderment.

"A miscarriage."

"But… I wasn't pregnant."

"I can assure you that you were pregnant" the Healer said, seeming confused by the reaction.

"We came here the other day" Severus told him. "We thought Harry might be pregnant, but the Healer we saw told us the result was negative and that Harry had been feeling sick due to food poisoning… so I think you've got your wires crossed somewhere."

"You have suffered a miscarriage… and you were pregnant. I don't think I'm the one who's got their wires crossed."

"So… they got it wrong the other day?" Harry asked.

"It's not possible to get it wrong. A pregnancy test is one of the most basic tests we have and it's never been wrong. Who did you see?"

"It was a Mr Davidson" Severus told him.

"I'll be back in a moment" the Healer said, leaving them to it. Harry and Severus looked at each other, both looking as confused as each other.

"Severus, what's going on?"

"I've no idea… but if what he's saying is true… we've… we've just lost a baby."

As though the thought had only just occurred to him, Harry started to cry. Severus hugged him and swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. How could this have happened? If a wrong result wasn't possible, why did the Healer the other day say that it was negative?

The Healer returned a couple of minutes later looking very agitated. He sat on the end of Harry's bed and took a few moments before he was able to make eye contact with them both.

"I'm so very sorry about all this, I don't even know how it happened, but we will be carrying out a full enquiry."

"Because the result were wrong the other day?" Severus asked.

"No, not because of that" the Healer replied. "We have no record of you attending a few days ago and… we don't have a Healer by the name of Davidson working here."

The Healer was met with complete stony silence from Harry and Severus as they let what they were being told sink in. "I'm very sorry" he said again, when nobody seemed able to say anything.

"It's not your fault" Snape told him. "There's nothing that could have been done to stop someone planning to do something like this."

"And like I said, we will be investigating and even right now, we're tightening up security around the hospital."

"Can I go home?" Harry whispered.

"I would like to keep you in over night, you will be quite safe and I will happily show you proof of my status as a Healer in the hospital."

After examining Harry and giving him medication for the stomach pains, the Healer left, but was swiftly followed by Severus who stopped him in the corridor.

"I just wanted to ask you something" Severus said.

"Go ahead" The Healer replied.

"Well, this is actually the third pregnancy we've experienced despite using protection. Is there a full proof method we could use?"

"Unfortunately Mr Snape, unless you with stain from sexual intercourse altogether, or get a vasectomy, there is no full proof method. You can use condoms and contraceptive spells, but there will always be a slight risk."

"Right. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome."

Severus returned to Harry, who in his absence had started crying again. Severus held his hand and told him everything was going to be fine, but this only made Harry cry even more.

"Who… who would do this to us?" Harry sobbed.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out" Severus replied. He had a very good idea who was behind all this.

"It's all my fault."

"What is?"

"Losing the baby, because… I said I didn't… didn't want one."

"Oh Harry, don't be so daft. This isn't your fault, but…I very much doubt the miscarriage was an accident."

"If… if I hadn't… lost it… would you have wanted…"

"Of course I would have wanted it. It was our baby after all. I know we both agreed the timing wouldn't have been ideal at this stage, but we'd have coped with it. You got pregnant with Joseph only three months after we got together and before we had even discussed the possibility of kids… but he's one of four things that are the most precious to me in the world."

Harry didn't have an answer to this. He looked overwhelmed and as though all he wanted to do was burst out crying again. Severus knew he must be feeling a mixture of emotions at the moment and didn't want to push it.

"You need to get some sleep. I'm going to contact the Weasley's and Minerva and I'll be right back to check on you."

"Ok."

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**Coming up in the next chapter**: Severus goes after the person he thinks is behind the miscarriage and a totally unexpected person turns up at the door!

**Reviews**: If you're reading this, please take a few moments to leave me a review. I really do appreciate them and they do help immensely with my motivation. My profile has details of all my story updates.

(This chapter was posted on July 4th)

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	4. The Truth Will Out

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**Chapter 4: The Truth will Out**

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Severus was making himself a tea in a less than attractive beige coloured plastic cup. He hadn't slept a wink last night and couldn't get his brain to shut off all the thoughts that were whirling around it. Their Healer still wasn't happy for Harry to go home yet, therefore he would still be here till the evening, if not later. He took a sip of his drink and grimaced. As he was about to walk back to Harry's room, Ron and Hermione appeared by his side.

"How's Harry?" Hermione asked, concern etched in her voice.

"Honestly? Not good, it's hit him hard. He thinks it's all his fault and on top of that he feels terrible about missing the funeral yesterday."

"That's absurd" Ron said. "After what he's been through, he should be thinking about himself, not everyone else."

"Can we see him?" Hermione asked.

"Sure, he's been up a while, just don't expect him to be too jolly… actually can you tell him I'm nipping back to the house for a bit?"

"Of course, be as long as you like, we'll be here for him."

"Thanks Ron."

Ron and Hermione headed off and Severus took one more look down into his cup and threw it into the nearest bin. Anger was penetrating his whole body. He could feel his pulse vibrating from every part of his skin. He _knew_ who was behind all this, who was behind _everything_. And he was damned if he was going to hang around any longer to let this person get away with it, or worse, give them the chance to do even more damage.

Deciding exactly what he was going to do, he rushed to the entrance to the hospital, stepped outside and disapparated on the spot.

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Draco Malfoy was lounging around in his home. As he walked past a large mirror in the hallway, he arrogantly checked his appearance, giving his reflection a wink of approval before carrying on. But as he turned into his sitting room he halted. Standing there with a face of thunder was none other than Severus Snape. Having been momentarily stilled in shock, Malfoy was not quick enough to react to the spell that Severus had just wordlessly cast his way. He felt his whole body stiffen and he fell backwards onto he hard wood floors.

Severus lowered his wand and walked over to the body binded Malfoy. Kneeling down on the floor, he twirled his wand in his hands for a few moments before speaking in a very clam tone.

"It's quite handy to be mastered in the art of wordless magic" he sneered. "It's also quite handy being a potions master… it means I have a plentiful store of _this_…" he pulled a bottle out of his pocket. "… lying around. Veriteserum. Truth potion."

Severus thought he saw a flicker of fear flash in Malfoy's eyes but chose to ignore it. Instead, and with the best smirk he could muster, he opened the bottle of Veriteserum and tipped a generous amount into Malfoy's mouth. He the took Malfoy's wand out of his trouser pocket and snapped it into tiny little pieces before lifting the body bind curse and having ropes bind themselves around Malfoy to keep him from moving.

"First things first…" Severus began, wanting to get this over with quickly, as even looking at Malfoy made him feel physically sick. "Are you Matthew's biological father?"

"No" was the toneless response. Severus inwardly felt a huge relief at these words, but didn't show any emotion to Malfoy.

"Did you cause Harry to have a miscarriage?"

"Yes."

Severus had to resist the urge to kill him right there and then. Anger engulfed his entire being and before he could stop himself, his fist collided with Malfoy's nose with a loud crunch. Blood started pouring down his face but Severus didn't care, that would be the least of Malfoy's worries.

"How?" Severus spat venomously, losing his initial cool. He and Harry had lost a child and the reason for that was lying pathetically on the floor with a face full of blood.

"Poison."

"How?"

"Invisibility cloak. I've been getting into your house."

"Did you pose as the Healer who told us Harry wasn't… wasn't pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Polyjuice potion?"

"Yes."

"WHY?"

"Revenge for my father. You lot are the reason he's dead."

"Did you kill Arthur Weasley or Nymphandora Tonks?"

"No."

Severus hadn't been expecting that response. He had been positive that Malfoy had been the cause of their deaths. Something didn't add up, if it wasn't Malfoy, then who was it?

"Do you know who killed them?"

"No."

Severus didn't need to hear anymore, he'd heard enough. Roughly pulling Malfoy up from the floor, he threw him with all his might for good measure against the nearest wall, revelling in the shout of pain he got in response, before dragging him out of the house and disapparating.

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Severus stood outside Harry's hospital and braced himself. Taking a deep breath, he walked in to find Harry sitting up in bed looking thoroughly worried. Although as soon as he saw Severus he smiled and let out a huge sigh of relied.

"Severus, thank god. Where have you been? I've been worried."

"I went to see Malfoy" Severus said, rushing to Harry and hugging him tightly. He was so glad to be back in his arms. His encounter with Malfoy had left him feeling dirty and shaky. Pulling away he sat on Harry's bed and held one of Harry's hands in his own.

"It was all him Harry. Everything. He's been hiding under an invisibility cloak, poisoning your food and drink and he used polyjuice potion to pose as that Healer we saw."

"So… so he's the reason I…"

"Yes" Severus replied, seeing Harry's eyes well up. Harry couldn't speak for a moment but then his eyes widened.

"He's, he's not Matthew's father?"

"No, he's not."

"Oh thank God… where is he now? I want to _kill_ him."

"He's in Azkaban. I forced to him to tell me the truth with Veriteserum and then took him to the ministry and had him reiterate what he'd told me to the Aurors."

"How could he… how could he be such an evil little fucking bastard?"

"His father was one, do we really expect any less from him?"

"But it's so unfair. If he hadn't… we'd be having another baby."

"I know… I know" Severus said. "But we can't change what's happened and it won't do us any good to let it rule of lives."

"I want to see the kids" Harry said, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his top.

"I'll go and ask the Healer if I can take you home."

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"Are we ready to go then?" Severus asked Harry. They were at Ron and Hermione's, fetching the kids.

"Yep" Harry replied, who was holding Lily in his arms.

They heard the doorbell ring from their location in the living room. Ron went to answer it and they all heard him shout "Oh my God" as he opened the door. Everyone made their way out into the hallway to see who had caused such a reaction from Ron. They all stalled as their eyes lay on who was standing on the doorstop. It was Mr Weasley… and Tonks.

"What the fuck?" Ron said, drawing back from the two of them as though they were some how contagious. "You're… you're both dead… what… what is this, some kind of joke?"

"Dead?" Mr Weasley asked, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

Molly walked forwards, her mouth open and her eyes wide in shock. "This, this can't be" she said in disbelief.

"Molly, it's me" he said, looking into his wife's eyes. Tonks and I have been kept captive. We escaped and disapparated to The Burrow, but nobody was there… what's all this about us being dead?"

"What's your nickname for me?" Molly asked sternly.

"Mollywobbles" Mr Weasley replied, going slightly pink around the ears.

"Oh Arthur" Molly exclaimed, running forwards to embrace her husband.

"I'll send a letter to Remus, hopefully he won't be too far" Hermione said, rushing off to the kitchen to find a pen and paper. After hugging her husband, Molly embraced a teary looking Tonks, who said in a quiet voice "where's Remus?"

"He's gone away, he thinks you've died" Harry said, walking towards her and hugging her too. "We thought you'd both died. There were, there were bodies."

"We've been kept prisoner by Draco Malfoy" Mr Weasley began to explain. "He cut some of our hair off and effectively left us to rot with an odd slice of bread now and then. But we suddenly found that we could open the door to the room we were in and the house was empty, no sign of Malfoy. We ran outside and immediately disapparated here."

"He's in Azkaban" Severus told them. "He'd been secretly poisoning Harry, and I confronted him and took him to the Ministry. I guess without him there the spells he'd cast on the room to keep you captive wear off some time after he'd left."

"Thank you" Tonks said to Severus.

"But, but there were bodies" Ron spoke up looking thoroughly confused. "We saw your body dad, we… we buried it."

"He must have used the ancient advanced polyjuice potion" Severus suddenly said, and everyone looked at him. "It's extremely tricky to make, even I haven't attempted it. But it makes it possible to turn into another person for two hundred hours, instead of one. He must have been planning this since his father died. He must have killed a couple of muggles and then turned them into Mr Weasley and Tonks."

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"We're home" Severus said to Harry as they walked through the front door a few hours later, Harry carrying Lily in his arms, Matthew and Joseph walking behind them. Severus walked up to Harry, kissed Lily on the top of the head and then kissed Harry on the lips. "Everything is going to be fine. No-one can hurt us anymore."

"I know" Harry replied, as he watched Matthew chasing Joseph up the stairs, the pair of them laughing.

"Here, let me take care of Lily, you go and have a nice long bath." Severus took Lily from Harry's arms and he gratefully took up the suggestion of a bath. An hour later he returned downstairs to find Severus, Matthew and Joseph all sitting on the sofa together, eating ice cream and Lilly beside them in her high chair, smiling and laughing as Severus made faces at her.

Harry felt a lump form in his throat and he couldn't stall the tears that sprang to his eyes. But these weren't sad tears, they were happy ones. He walked up behind Severus, and leaned down to rest his chin on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Severus asked.

"I'm fine" Harry replied, beaming around at his family.

"A letter came from Lupin whilst you were in the bath. Said how sorry he is to hear about the miscarriage and how delighted he is that he and Tonks are reunited. They've been crying non stop apparently. Says when you're up to it to go round to theirs for dinner."

"Sounds good. God, I am so ecstatically happy for them. I bet Remus couldn't believe it when he received Hermione's letter."

"More ice cweam" Matthew said, looking at Harry, who laughed at the state of Matthew's face.

"You've got ice cream all over your face" he said, standing up and lifting Matthew up from the sofa. "You're getting heavy mister. Tell em you love me and you can have some more ice cream."

Matthew giggled before saying "love you daddy." Harry put him down and then lifted Joseph up from the sofa, who had also managed to get the majority of his ice cream all over his face. He laughed as Harry carried him into the kitchen, Matthew in hot pursuit.

"Your dad seems to have failed to ask me if I wanted any more ice cream" Severus said to Lily, who just stared at her daddy curiously for a few moments before yawning and rubbing her eyes. Severus chuckled. "I wish I could bore you to sleep when you're screaming your head off at three in the morning."

Later that evening once the kids were all in bed, Severus came out of the bathroom having brushed his teeth to find Harry already lying on his back in bed. He laid down next to him, looking down at him and noticing how tired he looked.

"You look shattered" he said.

"I feel shattered. But I'll be ok in a few days."

"Harry, I want you to know that… whatever happens… whatever may crop up, whether it be at the right time or the wrong time, I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere, we're a team."

"I love you Severus."

"I love you to Harry."

"Um, while we're kind of on the subject, er, maybe in a few months time we could start to…"

"Go on" Severus prompted, running a hair through Harry's hair and smiling down at him.

"Um… start trying for another baby… a planned one this time."

Severus laughed and then smiled down at his husband. After all they had been through, life was back on track and everything was perfect. Harry, their three children, their home, their lives, their friends… there was only one thing that would be able to improve their perfect life, and that was another addition to the family.

"I'd love to" he replied, and Harry grinned adorably, grabbing the back of Severus' neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

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**THE END**

**Reviews**: If you're reading this, please take a few moments to leave me a review one last time. I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who has reviewed. I had originally planned for this story to be a couple more chapters longer, but compared to my other stories doesn't seem to be as well received, so thought I'd wrap it up here to give me time to concentrate on my other stories.

(This chapter was posted on July 25th)

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